Auxiliary mattress pad



Aug. 12, 1952 R. wEsToN AUXILIARY MATTRESS PAD Filed May 16, 1950 :EEE-II I l l l l l l l ,l Il

DUQUE@ Qu/'n Weston BY Patented Aug. '12, 1952 UNITED AUXILIARY MATTRESSPAD Rubin Weston, Los AngelesfCalif. Application Mayra, 195o, serial No.162,365

This invention relates to improvements vin auxiliary pads for mattressesand to the method of assembly of said pads duri-ng the manufacturethereof.

With the development of foam rubber it was found that a sleeping surfacemade from the rubber has very desirable qualities, these properties notbeing available in any other' prior known material. l Y

However, in designing mattresses of foam rubber, several difliculties orlimitations have become apparent. In mattress design,` a thickness ofsix to eight inches has been generally found most des-irable and bedconstructions and bed heights are set accordingly. A body of roam rubberof that thickness has beenfoundto be unstable and to deform Yto agreater degree than desirable. If the body of the mattress is braced ortrussed to overcome this disadvantage, proper action of the rubberisimpeded or prevented, since the foam rubber depends uponi whatis knownas breathing for proper action. This vconsists in the absorption andexpulsion of air by the pores of the rubber as pressure is exerted on orreleased from the body of the rubber. A further problem of the use offoam rubber informing a sleeping surface is that the rubber hasextremely low tensile strength and is easily ruptured lif stretched ordistorted beyond a critical point, and this critical point is easilyreached in normal use. Thus, 1t is necessary, i-n forming a pad from abody of` foam rubber, to devise a method of tufting said body whereinthe rubber is constrained against extreme distortion while at the sametime avoiding any undesirable compression of' the rubber body exceptthat caused by compression from use. It is to beemphasized that therubber is of such softness that some compression may be caused by onlymoderate pressure of a tying or tufting tape. A

It is an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary pad formattresses by means of which any vstandard mattress may be given thesleeping qualities of foam rubber while at the same time use is made ofthe thickness or height of such standard innerspring or felt mattress.v

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an auxiliarypad for mattresses which may be readily attached to any type oi mattressand as quickly detached therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is I'to provide a means ofcovering a foam rubber auxiliary mattress pad and securely attaching itto a mattress so as to prevent slipping and displace- .ment of the padduring handling and use of the mattress.

i scams. (o1. 5454);-

A further-object,v of the invention is to provide anattachable pad -formattresses with tufting so designedmthat the smooth sleeping surface ofthe pad may be maintianed without undesirable 1rtortionorpre-compressionof the foam rubber Another object of the invention isto/provide an attachable mattress pad so formed that the strain placedon the body of the pad by the securing tapes isv distributed over saidpad .at spaced points,- reducing Wear on the elements and localizedfailure, and particularly preventing tearing of theV foam rubber fillerdue to distortion from use.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a pad so designed thatthe tufting tapes may be exactly and individually adjusted so as toconstrain the foam rubber filler without: pre-,com-

pression thereof. Y Still another object of the invention is'to pro,-vide a novel and improved method of assembly of the various elements oflthe pad, resulting :in a simplied assembly process and reducedmanufacturing costs. l

With the above and other objects in view, as

will be presently apparent, the invention consists in general of certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafterfully described,` illustrated in the accompanying drawings andparticularly claimed.v

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views, and

, Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away,

of the mattress pad, the broken away portions showing the looped lowerends of the tufting tapes;

Figure-2 is a bottom plan view, partly `broken away, particularlyshowing the elongated pad fastening tape and the relation Aof the tiedends of the tufting tapes thereto; v

Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1;

Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view tanker;r

Figure 5.

and in the type of the foam rubber filler shown herein, the lower faceof the block is provided with a plurality of shallow, rectangularpockets.

The foam rubber filler has a surrounding cover envelope of any desiredmaterial. The lower wall of said envelope is formed of a lowerv panel I2which is slightly larger than the rubber ller II. Running transverselyof the lower panel I2 are any number of elongated securing tapes I3,these tapes being 'fastened to the panel by a single longitudinal row ofstitching I4 and of such length that they will extend on either side ofthe panel and complete encirclement of a mattress to which the pad isattached and permit the outer ends being tied as shown in Figure 5, Inthe preferred form of the invention the stitching I4 is interrupted atspaced intervals to form the loops I5 which permit passage of thetufting 'tapes which are later to be described. In theA form of theinvention as shown in Figure 6, the stitching Ila is unbrokenfor thelength of thepanel.Y

yThe cover is completed by a top panel I6 which is slightly larger thanthe lower panel I2, so thatvit may be turned downwardly on allvfoursides to form the side walls Il. The two panels are joined at theirperipheral edges in any desired manner. preferably by the stitching I8.Y,

On the inside face of the top panel I 6 and runningV transverselythereof are the tapes I9, these tapes directly overlying thecorresponding securing tapes I3 on the lower panel I2. -These tapes I9terminate slightly inwardly ofthe peripheral edge of the top panel I6and are secured preferably by a single, elongated row of stitching 20.

.Running transversely of the tapes I 9v and lying between the tapes I9)and top panel IE are a plurality 'of spaced tufting tapes 2I. In the-preferred form of the invention the spacing of these tufting tapes 2Ialong the tapes I9 correspondsto the position of spaced loops I5 in thesecuring tapes ..I3. These tufting tapes Y are placed ben'eaththe tapeI9 prior to the stitching thereof to theJtop panel I6 and are held atapproximately their midpoint by the elongated rowof stitching 20,forming outer legs 22 and 23. It is thus seen that the tufting tapes 2Iand upper transverse tapes I9 aresecured by a single operation.V

In the preferred form of the invention the method of assembly of themattress pad is as' follows: The rubberller II is.' centered'upon thelower panel I2, and the upper panell I6 in turned placed upon thefiller, so that the tufting tapes 2l overlie the loops I5. By means of asuit# able instrument, the ends 22 and 23fof the tuftingtapes 2I arepushedthrough the porous Vrubber filler. The end 2I of each tape is thendrawn through the loop I 5 and the exact tension placed thereon, theends 2I and 22 then being tied in any suitable knot. It will thusbe seenthat each tufting point is individually-and fixedly set at the exacttension,' andV withoutl any possibility of the strain being shifted ordistributedunequally to other points. It will also be seen that thetufting is applied entirely from the interior faces of the upper andlower panels without any evidence thereof appearing on the outside. Thetufting is completed row by row, and the four outer edges of the twopanels are then secured bythe stitching I8. The pad I Il is then readyfor application to a mattress M as shown in In the modified form of theinvention shown in Figure 6, the securing tapes Haare fastened to thelower panel I2a by an uninterrupted row of stitching I 4a. After thelegs 22and'23. are

drawn through the rubber filler II, the leg 23 is then drawn by asuitable tool, such as an upholstery needle, directly through the looseedges of the tape I3a, and the ends 22 and 23 are tensioned and tied asbefore described. This form of the invention simplifies themanufacturing process by elimination of the need of measuring andproviding for the spaced loops, and results in lower manufacturingcosts.

While there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changesmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary pad for mattresses, comprising a resilient filler, acover therefor, and a plurality of elongated unitary securing tapesextending transversely of said cover and being attached thereto, theouter ends of said tapes extending beyond the edges of said cover andbeing of such length as to complete the encirclement of a mattress towhich said pad may be attached.

2. An auxiliary pad for mattresses including a resilient filler, a coverformed of upper and lower panel sections, said upper panel section beingslightly larger than said lower panel section, to thereby cover the sideand end walls of said pad, a plurality of elongated unitary securingtapes extending transversely of said cover and being attached to vsaidlower panel section, the outer. ends of said tapes extending beyondv theedges of said cover and being of such length as vto complete theencirclement of a mattress to which said pad may be attached. t

.3. An auxiliary pad for mattresses including a resilient filler, acover formed of upper'and lower panel sections, a plurality ofspacedtape 'elements extending transversely of the inner face of. saidlower panel section and attached thereto,a plurality of tape elementsextending transf versely of the inner face of the upper panel sectionand being attached thereto and each positioned so as to overlie a lowerspaced tape element, and a plurality of individual tufting tapesextending through` saidller and each having their ends engaging thelower and overlying tapes respectively, each said tuft tape beingseparately tensioned and xedly secured at such selected tension bytying.

4. An auxiliary pad for mattresses as set forth in claim 3 wherein theplurality of spaced tape elements attached to the vlower panel sectionhave'n their outer ends extending beyond the edges of said lower panelsection, said outer ends being of such length as to complete theencirclement of a mattress and'permit tying of such ends.

5. An auxiliary pad for mattresses including a resilient ller, aooverformed of upper and lower panel sections, said upper panel section beingslightly larger than the lower panel section, said panel sectionsbeingattached at theircorresponc'iing outerV edges, a plurality of elongatedsecuring tapes extending transversely of 'said cover and being attachedto the inner face o'fsaid lower panelxsection by stitching, saidstitching being omitted atspaced intervals along said securing tapes to'form loops on said tapes, the outer ends of said securing tapesextending beyond the edges of said lower panel section so as to completethe encirclement of a mattress to which said pad may be attached, aplurality of elongated tapes extending transversely of the inner face ofsaid upper panel section' and being attached thereto, a plurality ofspaced tufting tapes attached at their midpoints to said elongated uppertapes, the legs of said tufting tapes extending through said ller, oneleg of each tufting tape being drawn under tension through acorresponding loop on said lower securing tape and tied to said 5 otherieg, the tension on each tufting point being thereby separately set.

RUBIN WESTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the me ofthis patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,281,104 Marquardt Apr. 28,1942 2,516,363 Block et a1. July 25, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 453,543 Great Britain Sept. 14, 1936

